ML1100 to R30iB robot using MSG protocol

[DanCartier]

I'm looking to implement a low-cost, efficient method of communicating some integer values to an R30iB robot from a Rockwell 1100 PLC.

I am not that familiar with setting up the MSG protocol to do this, but think it's probably the best bet. It may be as simple as adding a MSG control block with the data block (N7) defined with a data index length. Unfortunately, I don't have the hardware at hand or I'd test this out physically.

Can anyone comment on if they've done this before, and if so, how it was implemented?

 

[travispedley]

We do it with Logix processors all the time. I have never tried it with a Micro, but if it has a MSG command, I'd bet it would work fine. There is an Ethernet/IP manual for fanuc that goes into the details of what is in the MSG blocks for Register Read/Writes.

*EDIT* - I take that back, I don't see an option for CIP Read/Write in the MSG in the ML1100. I think you would need a ML1500 for this.

 

[DanCartier]

Thank you, @travispedley!

EDIT: we do this from an 1100 PLC to a 1400 already, so I'll dig a bit and see if it can be used to communicate to a robot as well...

I believe it was set up this way so that the program didn't need to change if the 1100 PLC was present or not.

 

[travispedley]

I have tried it with every ML series and I cannot see a way to do this. If you figure it out, let us know how you did it and to what deity you sold your soul to.

 

[DanCartier]

We use MSG protocol on the 1400 PLC to read the 1100 data block, if present. Since there doesn't seem to be a good way to do this from the 1100 PLC, is it possible to use the MSG for more than one device in the 1400?

 

[travispedley]

Yeah, but thats processor to processor. Ethernet/IP (CIP) is a different animal. There may be a way to do what you want, but if there is it is I don't see it in the toolset. Let us know if you come up with anything that works.

 

[L33er]

easily been done b4. No need to call any deity.

 

[Ken Roach]

Can you point us to a current and correct EtherNet/IP user manual for the R30iB robot ?

My reading of the user manuals I've been able to find online is that the R30iB has a general EtherNet/IP implementation that uses vendor-independent functions like implicit Scanner and Adapter modes, and vendor-independent CIP objects. These are compatible with Logix 5000 family controllers like ControlLogix and CompactLogix.

The MicroLogix 1100 doesn't support those. It sends Allen-Bradley SLC/MicroLogix data table reads and writes, and does some Modbus and ASCII protocols out the serial port, and that's it.

The MicroLogix 1400 and SLC-5/05 have some limited ability to read and write generic CIP objects. I checked my RSLogix 500 configured for MicroLogix 1400 Series B and found it has options for Assembly read and write, as well as Get Attribute and Set Attribute.

For better or for worse, the MicroLogix 1100 lacks some of the features of the slightly-bigger, slightly-more-expensive MicroLogix 1400. I think that because its hardware and firmware are nice and stable and mature, that's the way it will stay.

 

[DanCartier]

Can you point us to a current and correct EtherNet/IP user manual for the R30iB robot ?

My reading of the user manuals I've been able to find online is that the R30iB has a general EtherNet/IP implementation that uses vendor-independent functions like implicit Scanner and Adapter modes, and vendor-independent CIP objects. These are compatible with Logix 5000 family controllers like ControlLogix and CompactLogix.

The MicroLogix 1100 doesn't support those. It sends Allen-Bradley SLC/MicroLogix data table reads and writes, and does some Modbus and ASCII protocols out the serial port, and that's it.

The MicroLogix 1400 and SLC-5/05 have some limited ability to read and write generic CIP objects. I checked my RSLogix 500 configured for MicroLogix 1400 Series B and found it has options for Assembly read and write, as well as Get Attribute and Set Attribute.

For better or for worse, the MicroLogix 1100 lacks some of the features of the slightly-bigger, slightly-more-expensive MicroLogix 1400. I think that because its hardware and firmware are nice and stable and mature, that's the way it will stay.

Thanks for your reply! I do have the values available in the MicroLogix 1400 for sure. But the Ethernet is tied to the rest of the system. Also, there's a hardwired (discrete) interface to the robot in the current implementation.

Serial comms may work, but it's definitely out of my experience book with the 1400 at the moment.